Educator Toolbox

TXGU’s Get a Life Game

Texas GEAR UP

The idea of learning through play is certainly nothing new. Neither is the fact that college graduates make more money on average than their non-university peers. When students are having fun, they retain valuable information—for instance, exactly how much a degree will help them out in the future—and TXGU’s Get a Life game provides both in spades.

Fairmont State GEAR UP in West Virginia originally developed the Get a Life game to give their graduates-to-be a taste of what life will be like either with or without a college degree when it comes to employment opportunities, chances for living-space advancement, and taking care of life’s little wallet-based peaks and valleys. The team at Bryan ISD GEAR UP learned about the game—hey, it’s hard to keep something so positive under wraps—and had great success in using it with their cohort. They passed the word on to us, and in an inspiring show of interstate GEAR UP generosity, our new Mountain State friends happily granted us permission to adapt the game to Texan costs of living. GEAR UP resource-sharing for the win!

Now the Get a Life game has been officially TXGU-ified for you to share with your own students. You’ll take over a big space in the school, maybe invite some parents or community members to lend a hand, then let the fun (and learning) begin! After they receive their individual college-based or no-college-based job cards, the game will take your students through a series of real-world situations that could come straight out of any adult professional’s life—all illustrating the differences between going through life with a college degree versus only a high school diploma. (Learning to navigate situations like supporting kids or discovering the risks of bare-bones auto insurance is infinitely better in a game world for our TXGU’ers.)

We’ve got all the cool-looking game elements you’ll need to get started, so hit up your local print shop to get your students playing for their lives. Our prediction? You’ll love watching them learn just as much as you’ll love the life lessons themselves.

Download the zip file below for access to the following:

Instructions (including how to play and print the game)

Banners

Station Cards

Station Documents

Discussion Guide

Ready to help your students navigate a practice run of their real-world finances from the safety of their school? Keep calm and game on.

Bonus: To make life extra easy, watch this bonus video that explains exactly how to play the game from start to finish.